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Demo Guide: Diablo III

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Evil has come to PS3 – you can get your hands on the demon-slaying demo now on PlayStation Store, so check out our exclusive guide to staying alive in Sanctuary.

Sanctuary needs a hero

Before you begin your quest to banish evil from the world of Sanctuary, you'll need to decide what kind of hero you want to play as. This demo lets you choose from two of the five character classes available in the full game – Barbarian or Wizard – and whether to be male or female. The type of character you choose depends on how you want to play the game; Barbarians rely on brute strength and heavy weapons, covering themselves in armour to get to the heart of the battle. Wizards use arcane power to cast spells, summon mystical energies to heal themselves and use their magical powers to take out enemies from a distance.

Search for the fallen star

Your journey begins at the beginning of Act 1 as a mysterious light appears in the sky above the town of New Tristram. Depending on which character you have chosen, you'll discover details of what has brought you to New Tristram, and what drives you to discover the truth about the fallen star. As you enter the town, the stench of death fills the air; undead walkers roam the land – giving you the perfect opportunity to test out your new powers. Initially, you'll only have one attack to perform, using the CROSS button, so take out these vile creatures and see what your character can do.

A town under attack

As you approach the town, speak to Captain Rumford who will tell you a little more about where the star crash-landed and send you on the first part of your quest – to find Leah, the only survivor from the cathedral that the star destroyed. After dispatching more of the undead that start attacking you, the gates to the town will be opened to let you pass. Once inside, you can speak to any of the townsfolk to learn more about their plight and meet the merchants and healers who will be invaluable to your quest later on. Useful people will be marked on your mini-map, along with your current quest to find Leah.

Your first taste of loot

Outside the Slaughtered Calf Inn, you'll find a stash chest containing the first pieces of loot for you to collect which will prove invaluable for the fight ahead. Inside the chest are weapons, clothing, amulets and rings, each with a particular power that will aid you in different ways. Below each item you'll see icons for its attack, defence and health attributes; green triangles next to these icons indicate that it will improve that ability, while red triangles indicate a drop in stats. Move any of these pieces of loot into your inventory to equip them to your character, then head inside the inn to meet Leah.

It's good to talk

Important people to your quests will have a bright yellow marker above their heads. Find Leah to find out more about the undead, then search for Captain Rumford again who will tell you what you can do to help. Before you do this however, take some time to search your surroundings; interesting and valuable clues can be found everywhere, like Leah's journal that will provide not only more information, but a boost to your XP and maybe even a few gold coins. The Captain will send you on your first quest outside of the town, to destroy the monsters he believes to be the source of the evil, so be prepared for a fight.

Become more powerful

As you battle the monsters that are plaguing New Tristram, you'll earn XP – indicated on the yellow bar in the bottom left corner of your screen. Every time the bar is filled, you'll level up, granting you access to more powers and abilities. It won't be long before you reach level two; when you do, press the SELECT button to bring up your character's inventory, then choose the skills menu to discover your new powers. These could be active skills or, as you reach higher levels, passive skills and runes which grant you even more powerful abilities.

The road to hell

The road out of town will lead you into ever more perilous areas, teeming with increasingly dangerous and diabolical monsters. Survival will rely on knowing how to use your attacking and defensive powers to defeat the different creatures you'll face, so each time you level up be sure to practise your new abilities. This demo will take you all the way to level nine and allows you to carry your saved character over into the full game when you upgrade and continue your quest to rid the world of evil.